Best Places to Buy Clothes For Tall Skinny Guys

May 18, 2016 •

Shopping as a tall skinny guy is tough, the world isn’t cut out for ectomorphs. Adding muscle to the factor only limits the options many tall skinny men have when shopping.

It’s a fact that most mass produced clothing for men is designed and manufactured in a way to maximize profits. This means that cuts are made not to look good on a certain body type but instead look “ok” on all body types.

Clothes For Lean but Athletic Body Types

The fewer customizations a company makes with their shirts/pants the more money they save. Factories may only charge another fraction of a sent per variation however when multiplied by tens of thousands variety becomes expensive. This is why nothing you ever get from big name brands at JC Penny or Kohls ever seems to fit “right”.

For example, a “large” t-shirt is designed for a large American man. This means tall and probably round around the waist as well. So, if you’re 6’2 and get a large plain white t-shirt but you’re a lean body type it will end up fitting length-wise just fine but more like a parachute circumference-wise.

Fortunately, there are some brands that run their products to a slightly less “pudgy” average. SY has experimented with hundreds of different clothing manufacturers and have identified the top 4 clothiers for tall skinny “ectomorphic” body types. If you want to be a baller like me, then these are the brands you should check out:

1. H&M

Like most of the 4 clothiers on this list H&M falls into the “fast fashion” category. This means they aren’t fashion setters but instead jump on trends as soon as big expensive brands establish them and produce variations at a much more affordable price. So while that Louis Vuitton scarf may look dope you can bet H&M will have something that looks just as good for 1,000% less.

Large at H&M doesn’t mean “fat”. This means string beans have a much larger variety to choose their wardrobe from. Whether it be regular v-neck t-shirts for summer or close fitting knit cardigans for fall/winter H&M lines, both the Basics and the seasonal lines, offer good fitting options for people looking for tall and form fitting cuts.

H&M is number one on this list because they have stores everywhere, look awesome and offer prices that just can’t be beat.

2.Banana Republic

Before you roll your eyes at the name that you’re middle aged uncle loves so much heat us out a bit. Yes, Banana Republic’s styles aren’t as young and hip as what you’ll find at H&M. This is because Banana Republics target demographic is a bit older and a bit richer than H&M’s. However, while H&M offers a huge variety of clothes for daily living, night-life and casual-business Banana Republic is up to their ears in good fitting business-formal attire.

Business pants, sweaters and cardigans and jackets from Banana Republic all are top of their class in terms of professionalism and class. Even though they are owned by GAP because they are their “premium label” the cuts are a bit more refined and thus the fit for tall athletic body types is much better than GAP itself.

Banana Republic provides options for the working ectomorph that H&M sometimes can’t provide. While the price may be a bit prohibitive, it’s worth checking out next time you need to get a coat for the office, it’s worth the extra price as it will last. Banana Republic isn’t #1 because of their high price point. Keep your eyes open for sales.

3.Uniqlo

Uniqlo is like the Japanese equivalent of H&M. Just like their cars and electronics Japanese don’t’ f*ck around when it comes to clothes either. With up-to-date styles at insanely affordable prices Uniqlo always has what you need, whether it be for lounging around the home or going into the office.

Since Uniqlo is Japanese and Japan is not full of fat asses the cut of their clothes are probably the slimmest out there and thus perfect for tall/lean body types. Japanese have plenty of tall people don’t worry, you’ll have no problem finding 34+ length jeans here.

Some of the best Uniqlo find are their stretch jeans and their cool/dry t-shirts. Uniqlo was one of the first international clothing retailers to offer stretch jeans for men. Women have been wearing stretch jeans for years and for good reason, they’re comfy as f*ck. We’re not in middle school anymore. Say goodbye to your Jnco’s and embrace form fitting clothes because women sure do.

Uniqlo plain cool/dry t-shirts are cheap, come in a variety of colors and are offered in both crew and v-neck. The material is light and dries sweat insanely fast. This editor has several of these t-shirts and has worn them for 3+ years and they still look good. Excellent bang for your buck.

So, if you’re traveling to Asia anytime soon or just one of the coast consider hitting up a Uniqlo for a shopping spree because you won’t find a better harmony of quality, style and pricing.

4.Zara

Zara is similar to Banana Republic in they are at the leading edge in terms of style, offering and even trend setting with sometimes outright crazy fashion. That’s what makes Zara interesting, you’ll always see something a bit over the top, something you’d wear to a night-club or cocaine binge and nowhere else. Their suits can be either flamboyant or conservative but with a nice cut. The picture to the right was taken in Zara dressing room. The suite was quite large which made room for more upper body bulk, although the pants were a little tight.

Thankfully Zara has plenty of more “conservative” options to choose from. Zara is a fast fashion retailer from Spain and targets a slightly higher end fashion than Uniqlo and H&M. While Uniqlo and H&M might be considered mid-upper/mid range fashion Zara hits the mid-range to high-end spectrum of design and style.

The selection for form fitting pants, shirts and button up shirts is endless. If Banana Republic is the go-to for the office then Zara is the go-to for the lounge bar or night club.

Prices are extremely reasonable, in line with H&M, which is awesome for what you get. Downsides to Zara include the fact that sometimes their cut is just a bit too slim. For a 6’2 ectomorph with an athletic build at 200lbs it is sometimes difficult to find pants that don’t constrict in the quad area or shirts that aren’t stretched too tightly across the chest area.

Another downside to Zara is the lack of retail shops across America. Bountiful in Asia and Europe you may have to travel a bit to get your Zara fix. If you do we guarantee it will be well worth it.

So there you have it, 4 relatively affordable clothing retailers that offer a nice balance of style and fit, especially for the taller lankier gentlemen out there.

Hi Tina! I used to buy all my tshirts at Target for a while, their in-house brand Mossimo. They were plain, no graphics, but came in a variety of colors and were well fitted for my longer torso without being baggy. I believe Target has rebranded the Mossimo line so you may have to do some digging, but yeah, check Target out.